Outdoor events big hit with little kids

Published 1:45 pm, Saturday, October 22, 2011

Snakes, guns and s'mores were a few of the things 40 kids from Odessa and Midland encountered Saturday during Camp Fire USA's annual Great Outdoor Adventure.

Held south of Midland at property known as Dove Acres, kids were able to experience a day in the great outdoors. The children had the opportunity to shoot a .22 rifle and bow and arrow, ride a horse, have a snake wrapped around their neck, complete arts and crafts and make a s'more.

Hosted annually by the Camp Fire USA West Texas Council, the day aims to expose kids to different outdoor activities, teach them how to safely use weapons and educate them about different native animals.

Board President Tommy Reed said it gives kids the opportunity to explore things they don't get to do every day.

"It gives kids exposure to different things they've maybe never thought about before," said West Texas Council Director Bill Shuey. "Some of them will tell you horseback riding is their favorite, and others will just like the s'mores."

Riding horses was a highlight for Layla Combs, a 10-year-old at Gonzales Elementary in Odessa. She had ridden horses before while attending summer camp but said she was glad she got to ride the horse named Aurora.

"She was soft, and I could understand Aurora and her feelings," Combs said. "She was happy."

The horses came from Shenandoah Bar M Ranch.

The Midland Shooter's Association helped the kids shoot rifles, which was 10-year-old Crockett Elementary student Isaac Ybarra's a favorite part of the day.

"It was fun to shoot things," Ybarra said.

Combs said she also enjoyed it and liked hitting metal targets at the gun range.

"I shot a dog and a deer, but they were both fake," Combs said as she colored after her ride on the horses.

Saturday's events were open to all students enrolled in Camp Fire USA's after-school programs offered at 12 elementary campuses in Midland and Ector County ISDs.

The state-licensed childcare program provides 4- to 12-year-olds with after-school supervision and serves about 550 kids a day, Shuey said.

"It's a safe place for kids to be after school because they're at their own campus and doing real program activities and getting help with their homework," Reed said.